These are two systems of medicine-the modern western system of Medicine (Allopathy) and the traditional systems of medicine which are also called 'alternative systems' like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Acupressure, and the more recent systems like Pranic healing, Reiki, Magnet Therapy etc.
The modern western system of medicine which is considered the most Advanced Health care system, was introduced to India during the Colonial rule. The system enjoys the advantages of being effective in treating acute Disease conditions and crisis management as in heart attack, acute appendicitis, accident care etc. Also for reasons that we are more familiar with the modern Science on which Allopathy is based, it has come to be accepted as the mainstream system of medicine. All the other systems are considered alternative systems. But practitioners of systems like Ayurveda, which is a science evolved from the Vedas thousands of years ago, will perhaps refute this and call modern western system an alternative system to Indian traditional system which are much older and time tested. But for the reasons mentioned above, Allopathy still ranks above the other systems. But Allopathy does not provide answer to many Diseases which are chronic in nature, where the mechanism of the disease is not clearly known or worked out. It is comfortable with treating diseases only when it can show a direct, Linear cause and effect relationship. This explains the growing disenchantment with Allopathy and growing popularity of other systems of medicine which have a more Holistic approach to treating illnesses. They take into Account basic elements of health namely, Physical state of an individual, mental attitude, nutrition, etc. It is only that Allopathy has begun to understand and appreciate that the correction of imbalances in the Ecology of an individual has a major role to Play in Prevention and treatment especially in diseases like heart attack, diabetes, Cancer etc. |
